SACRAMENTO — Governor Gavin Newsom has signed AB 5, by Assemblymember Marc Berman (D-Menlo Park), which will create statewide standards for the prompt tallying and release of election results. AB 5 will go into effect on January 1, 2026.
“California has one of the most accessible and secure voting systems in the country, and with Governor Newsom’s signature on AB 5, we continue to build upon this success,” said Assemblymember Marc Berman. “One opportunity for improvement was to speed up how quickly we count ballots and create a system that gave greater certainty to the public for when results would be available. Unfortunately, we have seen Republicans in California and throughout the country use this to sow doubt about election results they don’t like, continuing their efforts to undermine our democracy. This new law addresses that by setting clear and achievable deadlines for our counties and providing all voters with more faith in our election process.”
AB 5, which passed with near-unanimous, bipartisan support, will require election officials to count and release the vote totals for the vast majority of ballots on or before the 13th day following the election. If counties are unable to meet the 13-day deadline, counties are allowed to go past the deadline if they provide a public notice and the reason to the Secretary of State.
AB 5 will expedite the ballot counting process and reaffirm public trust in elections, while maintaining California’s accessible, secure and transparent voting systems.
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Contact: BermanPress@asm.ca.gov